Renewable energy consultancy GL Garrad Hassan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Taiwanese Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

Under the MOU, GL Garrad Hassan and ITRI will cooperate in the fields of wind energy technological developments pertaining to industrial technology, technology strategy, and technical information and training.

Both parties will carry out joint projects, exchange technical information and expertise in the research and development of industrial technology, facilitate the technical upgrading of scientists and engineers, and explore opportunities for further cooperation in any other areas of mutual interest.

The offshore wind resource around the Taiwanese coast is considered excellent, with more than 6 GW of potential capacity at water depths of less than 50 meters. Earlier this year the Taiwanese government announced an extensive plan to speed up the deployment of offshore wind farms and promote green energy economics.

Beginning with a demonstration project in 2015, offshore wind installations are planned to ramp up over the coming years and reach 1,000 turbines and 3 GW by 2030.